Tips On Buying Your Gym Flooring

An essential part of any exercise space, gym flooring is not always one of the initial factors involved when planning out your gym, especially home gyms! But the floor is a crucial part for a number of different reasons, read on to find out more.

The importance of having the right gym flooring in your home, studio or commercial gym has never been more stark. Adding insulation, grip, shock absorption and if you're clever, a zone system, all helps to make your space as functional as possible, prevent injuries and will also protect the underlying floor structure. Whether you use predominantly free weights and strength equipment or have a range of gym machines, the flooring underneath where you workout MUST be a key factor to include in your design or installation.

GymEquipment.co.uk works with a number of leading gym floor manufacturers to provide high quality flooring options. This includes rubber tiles, roll out floors, sprint 'turf' tracks and LVT solutions. We also supply simple flooring tiles and mats that are perfect for home gyms because they're easy to install, protect your equipment and create a unique workout space.

The Range of Gym Flooring

There are a lot of bespoke options for your flooring, but there are preferred options available that cover over 95% of the market. Some flooring solutions will require specialist installation including glueing, whereas other solutions like the rubber tiles, can be fitted yourself provided you don't mind a bit of cutting them to size round the edges of your room/gym space.

Rubber Mats or Tiles

Most gym rubber flooring comes in 12, 15, 20, 30 or 40mm thicknesses. You are able to buy interlocking tiles (like a jigsaw) or simple bevelled edge square tiles that butt up to each other. Neither option needs to be fixed to the floor, but that does mean you need to be laying on a flat and even floor to minimise any issues with corners rising or gaps forming in areas.

Tiles are perfect for quick installation in homes and facilities and can easily be taken up if you do need to move property.

Floor Rolls

If you're looking for a seamless gym floor, have a larger area with a lot of 'foot fall' or just like the idea of a single piece floor, then a rubber floor roll could be the answer. As it sounds, it's like a carpet as it's rolled and cut to an exact fit. Most floor rolls will need to be stuck down with adhesive so we do recommend using a professional installer to provide the best finish.

Depending on your gym areas, you can also order with bespoke markings to create HIIT or functional zones which really adds to the look. You can also use an underlay to increase the sound/shock absorbency of the floor. Floor rolls are probably not for most home gyms but it's a great solution to look professional and also to remove any chance of the floor lifting or tiles becoming warped.

Hardwood or Laminate Floorings

Increasingly popular in homes and studios, adding a professionally installed laminate flooring to a commercial gym can provide you with lots of advantages including easy to manage spills, stains and cleaning. Areas for free weights can then have an additional cushioned flooring over the top or can have their own flooring, with the laminate surroudning that area. Alternatively you can buy large platforms that protect the floor where the racks or bars will be used. Prices will vary per square metre, which you can carefully keep an eye on.

Home gyms suit laminate or hardwood floors. The amount of use is less than a commercial environment and cleaning and maintenance is simpler and easier. Also, if you ever come to sell, buyers can choose whether or not to keep a gym knowing the floor is set up for whatever use is required. Special laminate like Karndean or Amtico would generally need to be glued down, but we have some excellent click system products which do not need to be stuck down, making them easier to install and maintain. Please feel free to get in touch for further advice.

Turf/Sprint Tracks

As it sounds, a section of flooring that looks like you have decided to turf your gym. Used to allow you to drag or push a prowler sled, or in larger gyms to act as a short sprint track for shuttle runs or even bleep tests, the turf is hard wearing, creates it's own unique zone for workouts and can help to break up the monotony of training for some.

Available in strips of any size you want and a variety of colours, you can also choose to add markings to suit your needs including start/finish and metre marks. The track needs to be professionally laid (especially if integrated with other types of flooring) and is usually secured with adhesive or strong double sided tape.

Factors For Choosing Gym Flooring

Always good to ask yourself a few simple things, to ensure you're buying the flooring that suits your needs as well as your budget.

Where Is It Going To Be Used?

Whether in the home or a commercial venue, workout where you need the floor first and foremost. For example at home, is it a concrete floor basement or a room in your home on normal floor joists? Are you wanting to do plyometrics or heavy barbell strength work? Will you have lots of people using the gym area? High impact vs hard wearing is an important balance to strike.

All of these things need to be thought through so that you lay the right floor for your needs. Adding insulation for sound reduction, impact absorbtion for Olympic plates and barbells, easy to clean surfaces for high trafic areas where sweat or spillages could occur will also be of importance if it's for a commercial venue.

Finally, providing a non-slip surface that provides grip both for machines and for users during exercise is key.

The Effect You Want

This may or may not be a factor for some. If you are just after the functionality and safety of a professional flooring solution, then this may be a paragraph you can skip. For others though, the flooring sets the mood for your workout. Adding bright colours can help to promote your brand or just add a 'zing' to your workout area. Likewise, adding floor markings can help to define an area of your gym and give it purpose. Again you can also tie in with your brand or a specific lighting theme you want or already have.

Finally, choosing the right effect can help to make a room look bigger or smaller (as you require). Always check that the type of activities you want to perform on the floor will not lead to excessive marking. For instance a light coloured floor if your using predominantly free weights can quickly get permanently marked.

Maintenance?

You want easy to clean and easy to maintain flooring. Whether it's home or commercial, you don't want to make life difficult and no one appreciates a dirty looking floor. So if it's at home, then a simple floor roll or laminate are the easiet to keep clean and wipe down, however they are not suitable if you're going to be doing a lot of strength work with bars, discs and dumbbells as there's little cushioning, shock absorption or protection from scratches and noise.

Rubber mats or tiles are great if you want to add zones or logos, replace tiles due to heavy wear or just want to have a bit more versatility. Whether you choose square or jigsaw tiles, most are easy to clean and depending on the finish and fit, there won't be cracks for the dust and dirt to get stuck in.

Your Budget

Depending on the floor type, the area and of course whether or not you require a professional fitter are all things to think about before you part with your money.

You must also think about whether your flooring will need any maintenance. This is partly to do with the level of use it will get, but also to do with whether or not you get a professional to lay the floor in the first place. Making sure you factor this in could ensure you don't pay a fortune for a floor, that requires a lot of repair and manintance going forward.

What If I Want To Fit Flooring Myself?

As a commercial gym, is fitting your own flooring a wise idea? With gym users coming and going, the need for health and safety and the sheer practicality of fitting everything exactly to ensure you maintain a professional look to your gym, we don't generally advise self fitting the flooring we offer. GymEquipment.co.uk can recommend flooring installers to ensure an exact fit, professional looking edges and of course the reassurance that comes with a job well done. 

For home gyms, depending on the size and shape of the room in question, fitting floor tiles is something anyone that can manage a stanley knife and a straight edge should be able to do - it's whether you have the time or inclination. With home gym flooing costing as little as £150+ to fit (depending on type, size and shape) why not let a professional complete the look of what is, after all, an investment.

Why Choose GymEquipment.co.uk?

Our experience and knowledge of gym flooring solutions is second to none. We're able to choose from a wide range of flooring suppliers to provide a cost-effective and high spec flooring to suit. Whether you're looking for shock absporption, insulation, slip resistance or the ability to brand, we have gym floors we can suggest.

If you need advice, feel free to call us for more information. We're not here to push a particular solution, so we'll listen to what you want, the equipment that will be involved and the budget you have and then see if we can recommend a couple of solutions for you to take away and think about.

We always ensure that, if required, you can get a site visit to measure up and survey any difficulties like stairs, doorways or changes in levels. We use a lot of the manufacturer-recommended installers and our bespoke service ensures you're getting a high quality finish to arguably, the most important part of the gym.